What to say if you like it

Self-sufficiency without Tom and Barbara’s soppiness.

What to say if you dislike it

Another ITV1 reality show that’s a pile of manure.

What was good about it?

• The use of The Good Life theme during the opening titles

What was bad about it?

• The characters involved are as exciting as a compost heap.

• Lisa, a merchandiser on 60k a year (so three nurses equal one merchandiser, do they?) and long-haired hippy Steve got a little bit upset. Not enough for primetime entertainment.

• The Aldridges – bossy Veronica, hopeless Neil and two goodlooking sons – indulged in a bit of bickering and were quite useless. Not enough for primetime entertainment. Veronica, however, came out with the only quotable quote from the programme: ““I think you can be self sufficient and still be glamorous, and that’s my intention over the coming months – to prove that you don’t need to turn into a complete hippy to be self-sufficient. Felicity Kendall managed it and so can I.”

• The Smiths – Dawn, Paul and four stroppy kids – winged a bit. Not enough for primetime entertainment.

• The fact that ITV is paying the mortgages of the three families, and giving them a weekly allowance, somewhat diluted the impact of the experiment.